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Leeds United are interested in a deal to bring Hwang Hee-chan to Elland Road this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Sky Sports, who claim that, after Alan Nixon revealed the Whites could target the Wolverhampton Wanderers forward should Tottenham Hotspur firm up their reported interest in a £20m move for Daniel James, Victor Orta is indeed considering launching a move for the 26-year-old in the coming days.

However, while Sky did reveal that the South Korea international would be keen to link up with his former Red Bull Salzburg manager, Jesse Marsch, once again at Elland Road, it is also claimed that Bruno Lage’s side would demand a figure in the region of £25m in order to part with the attacker – considerably more than the £15m Nixon had initially reported.

Marsch’s final piece of the puzzle

While the vast majority of Leeds supporters would likely claim that Leeds still need a new centre-forward and left-back – something Beren Cross backed up in a recent Q&A – in order for Victor Orta to have completed the perfect summer transfer window, with it now looking as if the club are content with deploying Pascal Struijk on the left of their back line, it would appear the signing of a striker could well be the final target on the club’s shortlist this summer.

And, considering Marsch’s previous relationship with Hwang, in addition to the Wolves forward having impressed following his arrival at Molineux last summer, the 26-year-old attacker may just be the 48-year-old’s final piece of the puzzle at Elland Road heading into the bulk of the 2022/23 campaign.

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Indeed, over his 30 Premier League appearances – only 20 of which came as starts – last season, the £17m-rated talent scored five goals, registered one assist and created two big chances for his teammates, a rather impressive feat considering he was playing for a Wolves side who scored just 38 goals last time out – the fourth-worst record in the league.

However, the £19k-per-week winger’s form at RB Salzburg will undoubtedly be the primary reason for Marsch’s interest in the Korean, as Hwang scored a quite astonishing 16 goals and provided 24 assists over his 43 appearances under the American’s management – averaging a simply sensational direct goal involvement every 66 minutes of football played.

Furthermore, with the former RB Leipzig forward being able to operate from attacking midfield, on either flank and as a centre-forward, the 26-year-old’s impressive positional versatility would not only see him be capable of providing the increasingly injury-prone Patrick Bamford with competition for his starting spot up top, he would also give Marsch another wide attacking option.

As such, should Leeds manage to get a £25m deal over the line for Hwang in the coming days, the 47-cap international could well prove to be Marsch’s final piece of the puzzle in the summer transfer window – an outcome that will surely delight the 48-year-old manager.

Chronicle Live journalist James Hunter has revealed a telling insight regarding Alex Neil’s departure as Sunderland manager.

The Lowdown: Neil’s sudden exit

To the shock of many on Wearside, it was announced on Sunday that the 41-year-old had left his role at the Stadium of Light in favour of a move to fellow Championship outfit Stoke City.

After guiding the Black Cats to promotion from League One, Neil led his team to a strong start to life in the English second tier, having gained eight points from their opening five games of the season.

Therefore, with Sunderland fifth in the Championship table prior to the weekend, his move to Stoke seemed all the more peculiar with the Potters sitting a lowly 21st, having earned just four points from their opening five games.

The Latest: Hunter’s insight

In response to various questions surrounding Neil’s salary at Sunderland and Stoke, Hunter shared some information regarding the manager’s exit from the Black Cats.

Taking to Twitter, the journalist claimed: “Doubt accurate figures will ever be made public, but he wasn’t being paid the market rate.

“And even ‘significantly enhanced’ terms didn’t match Stoke’s valuation of him. If you don’t pay the market rate, people leave – in any industry…”

The Verdict: Good record

Following the 41-year-old’s arrival at the Stadium of Light in February, his attitude at the club seemed like a breath of fresh air for Sunderland fans, who have endured pain and stagnation for the last few years.

The Scotsman averaged an impressive 1.88 points per match during his time in charge, topping his predecessor Lee Johnson, who had a slightly lower points-per-game rate of 1.82.

However, a list of managerial candidates has quickly been identified by the Black Cats to replace Neil, with MK Dons boss Liam Manning and Chelsea coach Anthony Barry reportedly in the running.

As per some reports, former Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray is the favourite to replace Neil. If the 58-year-old does end up being appointed, Sunderland fans will be hoping for a replica of his 2007/08 season, when he led West Brom to the Championship title and promotion to the Premier League.

Celtic are back in action today for their first Old Firm Derby clash of the SPFL season in front of their home fans.

Their previous league game saw the Hoops beat Ross County 4-1 on Wednesday in the Scottish League Cup thanks to goals from Callum McGregor, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Daizen Maeda and James Forrest.

On the chalkboard

In terms of what Ange Postecoglou’s starting XI could look like to take on Rangers, one figure that didn’t play in midweek that we feel should be in from the beginning on this occasion is Josip Juranovic.

Celtic signed the right-back during the 2021 summer transfer window on a five-year deal from Legia Warsaw.

Throughout his debut season at Parkhead, the defender, who had been linked with a £15m move away from Glasgow this summer, made 35 appearances for the Bhoys across all competitions, chipping in with five goals and two assists along the way.

He could dominate

To highlight how useful he was for Celtic last season, he came third for the number of tackles he won (28) at the club, as well as racking up the fifth-highest number of crosses (98) and interceptions (22).

This shows not just how much of a very capable defender he is but also how much of a danger he can be in an attacking sense.

Bearing in mind how Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side have only had seven fewer shots at goal than Celtic so far this season and have delivered more crosses than the SPFL champions, having a player like Juranovic on the pitch could be key for the Bhoys in getting a positive result out of the game.

Also, his ability to get up and down the pitch and make things happen at both ends shows that he has what it takes to dominate a match, which is surely what the home side will be looking to do this afternoon.

Previously hailed for his “outstanding” performance against Rangers last season by Ally McCoist, the 27-year-old certainly knows what it takes to play in an Old Firm Derby and what is needed to win in them as well.

Moving forward, we ultimately feel that the full-back should be one of the first names on the team sheet for Postecoglou, as his defensive and attacking attributes would give his side an edge over their bitter rivals.

Tottenham Hotspur have been told to address an ‘issue’ with developing young players in their academy, coming after a ‘disappointing’ call by the Lilywhites hierarchy.

The Lowdown: Starlets remain…

In the final weeks of the summer transfer window, Spurs were unable to send many of their rising stars out on loan to gain much-needed experience of regular senior football.

Nile John, Brooklyn Lyons-Foster and former England under-18 international Harvey White stand out as the most exciting young players who will remain at Hotspur Way rather than sealing a temporary move away to the Football League.

The opposite can be said of Dane Scarlett, who is currently dazzling on loan at Portsmouth in League One, with the Premier League club being told to address this ‘issue’ and allow more of their starlets to leave temporarily in search of first-team minutes.

The Latest: Kenny criticises ‘disappointing’ Spurs decision…

Speaking to Football Insider, former top-flight goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has claimed that Tottenham’s decision to keep some of these youngsters is a ‘disappointing’ one.

He explained: “These players need to go out and play men’s football, first-team football. They need to play twice a week, Saturday, Tuesday and Saturday.

“They need to know the level they need to be at just to play League One or League Two level. It’s disappointing that Tottenham have stopped those players from going out because it is hampering their development.

“It’s something they need to address, you can’t have these kids just sat around because they aren’t going to improve.

“They will improve by going out and playing men’s football at that young age, getting that experience as well. Something needs to change there.”

The Verdict: Correct?

As highlighted by Scarlett’s form on the south coast, where he has struck four goals in 12 games, it’s arguably imperative that these players get a chance to ply their trade at senior level as soon as possible, even in lower divisions.

For instance, White enjoyed a productive spell on loan at Portsmouth himself over 2020/21 but hasn’t been given a senior opportunity since, remaining in limbo and arguably ready for a bigger challenge than Premier League 2 football.

Tottenham’s academy has been renowned for producing fine players in recent years, including ‘future Spurs captain’ Oliver Skipp, and the club may well have other players of that ilk just waiting for their chance at proper match action.

Former Scottish Premiership striker Noel Whelan has claimed that Glasgow Rangers supporters will ‘worry’ about recent exit news involving two players.

The Lowdown: Kamara and Kent exits?

It was reported last week that the Ibrox outfit are willing to sell Glen Kamara in the January transfer window, after his proposed deadline day move to Ligue 1 side Nice collapsed.

They need to sell a number of big-name players if they are to generate the funds required to invest in the squad, with Ryan Kent another name that has been linked with a move away, namely to Leeds United in the Premier League.

The Latest: Whelan reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan has claimed that Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team cannot afford to lose any more of their spine, having already let the likes of Calvin Bassey, Joe Aribo and Leon Balogun leave in the summer:

“No.

“That would be a massive loss. Kamara and Kent are two pivotal players and players who have been standouts for Rangers.

“They’ve got different attributes, but they have a similar stature at the club.

“How do you replace those players? Especially when you consider the players they’ve already lost in the summer [Bassey and Aribo] and how they were replaced.

“They’ll command big, big money because of the quality they have – but how do you follow that up?

“Losing two big names like that – this has got to worry the Rangers fans.”

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The Verdict: Worrying indeed

As Whelan claims, Gers supporters should be worried by the latest exit news surrounding a number of their key players, especially after how many they let go in the summer.

In the Scottish Premiership this season, Kent is among the Light Blues’ top five best-performing players, leading the assist charts with James Tavernier with three, while Kamara has ranked highly among his teammates in terms of average interceptions per game and pass success rate (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, with the Teddy Bears seemingly slipping away from their bitter rivals Celtic, who thumped them 4-0 earlier this term and are two points clear at the top of the SPFL table, they simply cannot afford to lose any more of their core group at this moment in time.

Manchester City star Joao Cancelo is now of real interest to Real Madrid as they plot to sign him in 2023, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Cancelo stars for Man City…

Following a difficult debut Premier League campaign in 2019/20, the former Juventus defender has gone on to dazzle under Pep Guardiola whilst cementing his status as a City mainstay.

Cancelo’s technical quality as a full-back is arguably unmatched, with the Portuguese gem attracting high praise for his creativity and flair over the past two seasons.

As per WhoScored, the 28-year-old is one of just five Sky Blues players to start every top-flight match so far this season, with Cancelo clearly an untouchable in Guardiola’s plans. Last season, the defender also ranked in City’s top five for shots at goal and successful dribbles per 90 in the top flight – impressive numbers for someone who is nominally a defensive player.

The Latest: Real Madrid plot Cancelo move…

As a result of his fine form at Eastlands, it appears that Champions League holders Real Madrid are plotting a 2023 move for the Portugal full-back.

Mundo Deportivo claim (via Sport Witness) that Cancelo is attracting interest from the Galacticos, who ‘will try to contact’ the player next summer.

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has apparently earmarked the City star as a natural left-back alternative to Ferland Mendy, and while he has David Alaba for that role already, the former Everton manager plans to use the latter as a centre-half.

The Verdict: Worry for Pep?

With the player contracted until 2027, City sporting director Txiki Begiristain is in a very strong negotiating position when it comes to Cancelo. The only concern for the Premier League champions could be the appeal that a club like Real Madrid presents given their rich history and big-name status.

However, if the 28-year-old doesn’t push for a move himself, Galacticos president Florentino Perez may need to invest significantly to convince Guardiola’s side to part company.

Hailed as one of City’s ‘superstars’ by members of the press, Cancelo’s quality is best highlighted by club captain Ilkay Gundogan, who branded his team-mate ‘very important’ to the cause.

If the Sky Blues are to be pushed into a sale, it would surely take a mountainous sum for them to do business with the Madrid giants.

West Ham’s 2-0 win over Wolves on Saturday was not without its consequences, as Maxwel Cornet was forced off in the first half through injury.

The Ivory Coast international, who joined from Burnley during the summer transfer window, was making his first start of the Premier League season at the London Stadium on Saturday.

However, he would last just 34 minutes before being replaced by Pablo Fornals, with a calf injury meaning that the winger could not continue.

What’s the word?

David Moyes provided an update on the 26-year-old, saying:

“He felt his calf, so that was it. I’ve not had the chance to speak to the medical team yet, I’m not saying it’s a calf strain but it looks like something to do with his calf.”

Another update was then provided on the player’s fitness by club insiders Claret & Hugh on Sunday, who revealed the following: “A key source at the club told ClaretandHugh that the medical staff hadn’t diagnosed the problem at this stage and that the player would be off for a scan [on Monday].”

Worrying for Moyes

While the Irons sweat over the seriousness of Cornet’s injury, it is undoubtedly a blow that he has injured himself ahead of an extremely busy pre-World Cup schedule with Moyes likely worried about not just the player’s fitness, but his squad depth at such a crucial time.

Indeed, the winger showed with his performances in a relegated Burnley side last season that he can be a real threat in the Premier League and considering West Ham’s disappointing start to the new campaign, Moyes would like to have counted on him during their upcoming fixtures, with the Hammers facing another eight games this month alone.

With rotation key, Cornet will have been an important part of that and he may still should the scans come back encouragingly. If they do not, however, the Scotsman will be cursing his luck.

Cornet scored nine goals in 26 top-flight appearances for Burnley before his move to the London Stadium and given that only Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio would hit double figures last season, the Ivorian looked likely to be a big player for Moyes in 2022/23.

Kolo Toure was full of praise for him last term, backing up that probable importance, saying:

“He has been terrific. Unbelievable. I saw him, he scored a great goal against us (Leicester City). Technically, he is a very good player.”

However, he has found first-team chances hard to come by thus far, with just four substitute appearances before Saturday’s inclusion from the off – although he was wrongfully denied an equaliser in the defeat at Chelsea.

After the morale-boosting win over Wolves, Moyes will have been desperate to keep his squad together to try and build some momentum, so to lose yet another player to injury is undoubtedly a blow.

Hopefully, for the Hammers’ sake, Cornet’s injury is a minor one and he is fit to face Anderlecht in the Conference League on Thursday night.

Journalist Graeme Bailey has heaped praise on Southampton for capturing England youth ‘star’ Jayden Meghoma this week.

The Lowdown: Saints complete ‘exciting’ move…

The Saints completed Meghoma’s signing to the academy on Tuesday, announcing the deal on social media as owners Sport Republic take their capture of youngsters up another level.

Having already signed a plethora of teenage talent in the transfer window, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have moved to add another in the 16-year-old.

Head of Youth Recruitment, Dan Rice spoke after Southampton announced Meghoma’s move to the south coast – calling it an ‘exciting acquisition’ for both the academy and ‘future of the club’ (via southamptonfc.com).

The Latest: Journalist thrilled by Meghoma move…

Taking to social media, reporter Bailey has heaped praise on the Premier League side for signing Meghoma – who follows another promising youngster in Samuel Amo-Ameyaw from Spurs.

The 90min journalist called adding both starlets ‘big captures’.

He stated:

“England youth star Jayden Meghoma completes move to Southampton.

“Follows Samuel Amo-Ameyaw in moving to St Mary’s from Tottenham – two big captures for the Saints Academy.”

The Verdict: Planning for the future…

Sport Republic’s planning for the future is clearly underway with these additions who may well become first team stars in future years, especially going by Bailey’s reaction.

Meghoma, an England Under-17 international, is certainly one to watch whilst Amo-Ameyaw has been praised by Spurs pundits as a ‘really exciting player’.

The fact Southampton have managed to poach both of these promising gems from north London is an indicator of their real ambition behind-the-scenes to land the country’s best and brightest talents.

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has provided an update on the fitness of his squad, following Saturday’s thumping Scottish Premiership victory at Parkhead.

What’s the word?

Speaking after that 6-1 thrashing of Hibernian, the 57-year-old – via Celtic TV – revealed there should be no new injury concerns ahead of Wednesday’s League Cup, quarter-final clash with Motherwell, despite a handful of figures having been forced off yesterday.

Summer signing Sead Haksabanovic was withdrawn at half-time with an ankle complaint while striker Giorgos Giakoumakis was also substituted late on, although that attacking pair – as well as the absent David Turnbull – should be fit to feature in midweek.

The title-winning coach stated: “From what I know about today, I think everyone will be okay for Wednesday. We took Sead Haksabanovic off because he had a bit of an ankle issue going into the game, but he was really keen to play. Once the game was done, we could take him off at 45. I think everyone else was good. Hopefully, by Wednesday, David Turnbull will be okay as well.”

The former Yokohama boss also revealed pre-match that talisman Jota could make a return to training next week, with the Portuguese gem having been absent from the win over Lee Johnson’s side, as well as Tuesday’s Champions League defeat to RB Leipzig.

Big boost

While there are still a number of other injury woes for the Old Firm side to contend with – as both Callum McGregor and Carl Starfelt remain sidelined – it will be positive news for Postecoglou that he will not be faced with more issues this week, with it set to be a big boost as the Bhoys looked to continue the defence of their League Cup crown at Fir Park.

In the case of Haksabanovic, the former Rubin Kazan man has begun to impress in his new surroundings, having notably teed up teammate James Forrest for the game’s opening goal on Saturday afternoon.

The 23-year-old had also had a hand in the first goal in last week’s dramatic triumph over St Johnstone, while the Montenegro international had looked ‘dangerous’ in the club’s European loss earlier this week, in the words of Glasgow Live’s Ben Banks.

Having the £4.95m-rated ace fit to feature this week would be a real lift such has been his creative spark in recent games, while teammate Giakoumakis will be hoping to maintain his recent goalscoring form, after netting three times in his last two top-flight games.

The Greek marksman’s latest brace came at the end of a week in which the champions had been left to rue their profligacy in front of goal, with the 27-year-old potentially now staking his claim for a more regular role ahead of fellow forward Kyogo Furuhashi.

Having such competition for places will be vital amid this current hectic run of fixtures, hence the notable boost that Postecoglou won’t have more injury woes to contend with following yesterday’s stunning win.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Harry Winks could return from his temporary spell at Sampdoria prematurely.

What’s the latest?

In a recent article for football.london, Alasdair Gold revealed that the midfielder, who is yet to feature for the Serie A side as a result of an ankle injury, could be set for a return to north London in January due to his continued unavailability in Italy.

Regarding the 26-year-old’s current situation, the journalist said: “Winks is yet to make an appearance for Sampdoria as he tries to overcome a troublesome ankle problem. He had only completed one training session with the group before the problem flared up.

“There have been some reports in Italy that the Serie A side could look to end his loan move prematurely in January if he is unable to regain his fitness with the player training alone as he awaits some kind of progress with the injury. He has not featured in any of the club’s 11 games this season so far and is currently listed by the club as simply unavailable.”

Paratici shocker

While it is true that, when Fabio Paratici sanctioned a deal to send Winks to Sampdoria back in August, the sporting director was unable to predict that the former England international would pick up a long-term injury, it is nevertheless undeniable that the midfielder’s temporary switch to the Luigi Ferraris Stadium has proven to be a shocker.

Indeed, with Antonio Conte quite clearly making the £8.7m-rated talent surplus to requirements at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window, many at the club would undoubtedly have been hoping for an interested party to make a permanent offer for the 26-year-old.

However, with Paratici and Daniel Levy placing a £25m asking price on the playmaker’s head, neither of the two clubs reported to be most interested in the Tottenham academy graduate – Newcastle United and Southampton – would go on to submit a concrete bid for the midfielder, leaving Spurs’ only option to send Winks out on loan.

And, while Sampdoria would ultimately go on to secure the Englishman’s services on a temporary basis, due to the financial limitations of the Serie A side, Tottenham are still reported to be paying £30k per week in order for the Italian club to be able to afford the midfielder.

However, with Winks’ injury resulting in him making no appearances for I Blucerchiati so far this season, as well as potentially being returned to Tottenham in January, it is clear for all to see that the midfielder’s move to Italy has proven a shocker for all involved.

Indeed, Winks himself has not had the chance to prove he has what it takes to make it in a top-five European League, meaning Tottenham look incredibly unlikely to get anywhere near their £25m asking price for the midfielder when he eventually returns to north London, while Levy is still paying a considerable portion of the 26-year-old’s wages in the process.

As such, it would be difficult to categorise the Englishman’s move to Italy as anything other than a disaster for Paratici, Levy and Spurs, with all things currently pointing towards a premature return to Tottenham for Winks in January – bringing both the club and the player back to square one.